The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-05

within him by his long imprisonment. In a
time of pardonable depression he seems to
have brooded di-piritedly over the tardy
| progress of Mes ianic events. Perhaps he
| felt somewhat vexed that the miraculous
power of JESUS was not exerted at once to
| put down existing ty rannies aud high handed
godlessness. Why we're the Lords csptives
| allowed to remain captives still? Why was
the Lords herald kept immured from month
to month in dreary prison? Gould not the
prison doors be burst open? "He had heard"
says Llghtfoot, "that miracles of all sorts
were done by him, that the blind received
their sight, the dead we're raised, devils we're
cast out. And why, therefore, among all the
rest is not John set at liberty? This scruple,
as it seems, stuck with the good man: Why
do all receive benefit and comfort from
CHRIST, but Only I?' Perhaps, too, as Light
foot adds, he labored under that dim-sight-
edness which attached to the disciples of
CHRIST and to the whole nation concerning the
Messiah's early kingdom and victories and
triumphs, from which how distant, alas, was
should lie in chainsp' We would thus, with
Lightfoot, as also MacKnight, and others,
attribute the message of John to moral i'm
perfection rather than to an intellectual
doubt, on the one hand, or to benevolent
mapevre on the other. The good man was
indirectly petitioning for release and for an
other style of Messian1c progress.-J0naes
Morrison, ID. d., "a Practical Common
tary."
While John knew himself to be the har-
binger of JESUS John i. 33) and also to be
the harbinger of the Messiah (John iii. 28).
still it was conceivable that JESUS might
possibly not be the Messiah. Among the va
rious confused ideas which the Jews had de-
veloped from imperfectly understood Messl-
anic prophecies, the notion was entertained
by some that succession of great person.
ages would arise. Elijah, they generally be-
lieved, would return to life; some thought
Jeremiah also would return, and perhaps
others of the great prophets. :. Some
thought it very likely that these would come
in quick succession, to herald with all the
greater pomp the approach of the glorious
King of Israel. Some such notion Is GER
tainly involved in the question, :" Art thou
the coming lionel, or are we to look for an
other?" There is, therefore, nothing
surprising, and nothing derogatory to John,
in the idea that amid the respondent and
perplexed thoughts of a weary prisoner, he
began sometimes to question whether JESUS
was himself the Messiah, or only second
and greater forerunner. We need not
suppose that he at any time wholly lost his
persuasion that JESUS was the Messiah, but
only that he became harassed by difficulties
that he could not solves and he shows great
confidence in JESUS by referring the whole
question to him. These "works" which he
heard of as wrought by JESUS were very re-
markable. But how strange it YVES that the
great worker. to whom he had himself borne
testimony, did not come out publicly In the
Messianio character and have himself crown
ed, and reign as the Amounted King! how
strange that with the power of working such
astonishing miracles, he should leave his
devoted servant and herald to languish so
long in this unjust imprisonment, cut of
from the work in which he delighted! John
was embarrassed, perplexed-perhaps impa
tient-he knew not what to think, and was
weary of waiting-he would send and ask
JESUS himself.-John A. BrondtLs, ID. D.,
LID, Commentary on Matthew"